Soap dispensers are known having a cover which can be moved between an open and closed position as for filling the dispensers with soap as, for example, by the removal and replacement of disposable soap containers. Frequently, the cover is mounted on a dispenser housing and adapted to assume a closed position in which it is locked to the housing, as to a back plate, against opening other than by disengaging a lock mechanism such as by use of a key to be turned or pushed. While such lock mechanisms are advantageous to reduce vandalism as in school washroom environments, the use of a key as a requirement to open a cover of dispenser is not desirable in other environments as where vandalism is not high and greater ease of access to dispenser is desired.
To overcome the disadvantages of previously known devices the present invention provides a soap dispenser with a lock mechanism for locking a cover to a housing back plate and including a blocking member, provided preferably as a removable integral portion of the back plate, which can be removed and when suitably positioned prevents locking of the lock mechanism.
The present invention provides a dispensing device including a lock mechanism for locking a cover to a housing and providing therewith a blocking member which is either coupled to the housing in an inoperative position or can be coupled to the housing in a position which prevents locking of the lock mechanism. The blocking member may preferably be integrally formed from plastic as the same material as another component of the dispenser, preferably from injection molded integrally with a back plate for the housing, at a location which is not visible when the dispenser is used and with the blocking member being removably connected to the housing back plate by a frangible connection which may readily be broken to separate the blocking member from the housing back plate such that the blocking member may be suitably positioned and coupled to the dispenser in a position which prevents locking of the lock mechanism. Forming the blocking member as an integral part of one of the elements of the dispenser, preferably a back plate, avoids the need for handling of a separate element. The blocking member is preferably provided on the dispenser preferably on a back plate in a location that with the cover open it can be readily accessed such that after the dispenser may have been installed as for locking usage, the blocking member may then be removed and subsequently applied to the dispenser to provide for use of the dispenser in a manner for which there is no locking of the cover.
In one aspect the present invention provides a fluid dispenser having a back plate for mounting to a wall and a cover mounted to the back plate for relative movement (1) between a closed position and a raised intermediate position by relative vertical sliding and (2) between the raised intermediate position and an open position by relative pivoting; in the closed position first catch members on the cover engaging first catch members on the back plate to prevent relative pivoting of the cover and back plate, in the closed position second catch members on the cover engaging second catch members on the back plate to prevent relative vertical sliding of the cover and back plate, one of the second catch members being resiliently deflectable to disengage the second catch member and permit vertical sliding of the cover and back plate between the closed and intermediate position, in the intermediate position the first catch members do not engage and the second catch members do not engage such that when in the intermediate position the cover is free for pivoting to the open position, a blocking member adapted to be engaged on one of the cover and the back plate to resilient deflect the resiliently deflectable one of the second catch members and maintain the same in a position in which the two second catch members do not engage, the blocking member carried by and removable secured to the back plate in an inoperative position, the blocking member manually removable from the inoperative position for engagement on the resiliently deflectable one of the catch member.
Preferably the back plate includes an opening through the back plate, the blocking member received in the opening coupled to the back plate in the inoperative position.
More preferably the blocking member and back plate are integrally formed together as a unitary member by injection molding with the blocking member secured to the back plate in the inoperative position by a frangible member which can be manually broken for removal of the blocking member to permit it to be removed from being secured to the back plate in the inoperative position and to be engaged with one of the cover and back plate to engage the resiliently deflectable one of the second catch members and maintain the same in a position in which the two second catch members do not engage.